Landing attachment for aeroplanes



Patented Feb. 13, 1923.

PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM E. LAWN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

LANDING ATTACHMENT IEOR AEROPLANES.

Application filed September 20, 1918, Serial No. 254,917. Renewed September 18, 1922. Serial No. 589,015.

To or?! 10710711 it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. LAWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Landing Attachments for Aeroplanes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference numerals marked thereon. A

My invention relates to aeroplanes and has for its object to provide an attachment for such machines which will facilitate landing within a restricted area and also assist in elevating the machine in climbing. More specifically the object of my invention is to provide a motor driven propeller adapted to be revolved in a substantially horizontal plane located near or over the center of mass of the machine and operating to lift the machine or retard its descent. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aeroplane showing one embodiment of my invention applied thereto,

Figure 2 is a vertical section of a portion of an aeroplane showing my attachment mounted therein,

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through the support for my propeller, showing the operating means, and

Figure 4 is a plan view of an aeroplane showing a slightly modified form of the improvement applied thereto.

Similar reference numerals in the several figures indicate the same parts.

My attachment is adapted to be applied to aeroplanes or aircraft of any approved type and may be attached to new machines or machines already in use. I have shown my attachment applied to an aeroplane comprising a body portion 1 having a pair of wings 2 and 3 and a propeller 4 at its forward end. When on the ground the machine rests on the wheels 5 and is controlled in the air by means of a rudder 6 and elevation rudder or controller 7. My improved device is secured in the body of the machine and comprises a pair of supports 8 in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 9 on which is pivoted a pair of arms 10 extending upwardly and curved inwardly toward each other and carrying a sleeve 11 secured between their inner ends, comprising a bearing for av vertical shaft for the propeller. Fixed to the shaft 9 is a beveled gearrl2 which meshes with a beveled gear 13 secured to the lower end of a shaft 14. .The hub of the beveled gear 13 is provided with a circumferential groove 15, with which coo erates one or more pro'ections 15 in the orm of screws passing t rough the wall of the sleeve 11 and into the groove. Keyed to the shaft 14 and movable longitudinally thereof within the sleeve 11 is a sleeve 16 enlarged at its outer end as at 17, forming a seat to which a propeller 18 is secured by means of bolts 19. The keys are fixed in the shaft 14 at its upper end and project into long grooves made in the sleeve 16 which causes rotation of this sleeve and the propeller 18 from the shaft 14, while the sleeve 16 is free to rise within the outer sleeve 11 until stopped by contact of shoulders at the lower ends of its grooves with the shaft keys which thus prevent upward disengagement of the sleeve 16 and propeller 18 from the sleeve 11 and the driving shaft 14. Cooperating with the beveled gear 12 for rotating the same is a beveled gear 20 on the shaft 21 driven by a motor 22 although of course shaft 21 might 'be clutched to the shaft of the usual forward motor, as well understood in the art. Pivotally connected to the sleeve 11 at 23, by means of a yoke 24 embracing the sleeve 11 is a rod 25 pivoted at its other end to a lever 26'. The lever 26 is pivoted in a bracket 27 having a segmental rack 28 at its upper end concentric with the pivot of the lever 26. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, the sleeve 11 and parts therein extend in a vertical direction from the pivotal rod 9, and the propeller 18 at its upper end at this time revolves in a plane substantially horizontal or at right angles to the plane of the main aeroplane propeller 4. When the lever 26 is moved from the central position shown in Figure 2, the sleeve 11 is moved-on the shaft 9 and moves the propeller 18 either forwardly or backwardly, inclining-it slight-. ly from the horizontal position shown in lii ure 2. I

l eans are'provided for locking the lever 26 in either of several positions, thereby locking the sleeve 12 and propeller 18 in either of the positions to which it may be moved. Said locking means comprises a bolt or rod 29 slidably mounted on the lever 26 and resiliently held by means of a spring 30in engagement with one of a plurality of notches 31 in the rack 28. A finger piece 32 is pivoted to the lever 26 near its upper end and is connected to the rod 29 by means of a link 33. When the finger piece 32 is moved on its pivot, the rod 29 is withdrawn from one of the notches in the rack, and when released, engages with the notch of the rack with which it is moved into register.

The operation of my device is as follows: Assuming that the operator of the machine desires to land in a restricted area and reduces his speed to such a point that the wings 2 and 3 are insufficient to suspend his weight and that of the machine, he may start the motor 22, rotating the shaft 9 and the propeller 18. The action of the propeller 18 will be such as to tend to suspend his weight and that of the machine and retard his descent, permitting a slow and easy descent at a much lower speed than would described, is extensible, so that when the propeller is started, the sleeve 16 on which the propeller is carried slides outwardly or upwardly to the position shown in Figure 1, but is driven by the connecting means between the sleeve 16 and the shaft 14:. This extensible mounting of propeller 18 is for the purpose of allowing the same tobe normallypositioned out of the way adjacent the fuselage, while allowing it to automatically move to a distance from the fuselage while in action for the purpose of decreasing the interference by the fuselage with the air stream set up by the propeller, thus increasing its efficiency in operation.

In Figure 4, I have shown a pair of propellers 35 mounted over the wings 3. In this case, the propellers are connected by means of sprocket chains 36 or other suitable driving means with a central driven shaft. In this case the two propellers are simultaneously driven when the shaft is rotated, and by mounting the propellers immediately over the plane, a more effective action is secured. The operation of this deaeae vice is substantially the same as' that described above.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

'1. In an aeroplane, a body portion, a shaft extending therefrom in a generally upward direct-ion, adjustable means for supporting said shaft in different angular positions to vary the direction of extent thereof, a propeller on said shaft, and means supporting said propeller for limited extensible movement longitudinally of said shaft.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body, wings thereon, a propeller revolving on a substantially horizontal axis for actuating the same forwardly, a second propeller, a substantially vertical shaft on which said propeller is carried, bearings on said body, a sleevepivotally mounted on said bearings, a sleeve rotatably supported on said pivotally mounted sleeve and in which said vertical shaft has a bearing, and means for transmitting motion from said second sleeve to said vertical shaft.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body, wings thereon, a propeller revolving on a substantially horizontal axis for actuating the same forwardly, a substantially vertical shaft, bearings on said body, a sleeve pivotally mounted on said bearings, a sleeve rotatably supported on said pivotally mounted sleeve and in which said vertical shaft has a bearing, a second propeller on said rotatable sleeve, and means for transmitting motion from said vertical shaft to said second sleeve.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body, a propeller revolving on a substantially horizontal axis for driving the machine forwardly, bearings on said body, a sleeve pivotally mounted on the bearings, a hollow shaft revoluble in said sleeve, a driving shaft within and keyed to said hollow shaft to rotate therewith and on which the hollow shaft slides, means for rotating said driving and hollow shafts, and a second lifting propeller mounted on the hollow shaft.

5. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body, a propeller revolving in a substantially vertical plane for driving the machine forwardly, bearings on said body, a sleeve pivotally mounted on the bearings, a hollow shaft revoluble in said sleeve, a driving shaft within and keyed to said hollow shaft to ro-' tate therewith and on which the hollow shaft telescopically slides, a second lifting propel- 1,444,926 {cit axial movement toward and from said body, and means for angularly adjusting the axis of said propeller.

7. In an aeroplane, a body portion, a lifting propeller arranged for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, telescopic means supporting said propeller for movement toward and from said body, and a pivotal mounting for said telescopic means for angularly adjusting said propeller axis.

8. In an aeroplane, a body portion, a drive shaft extending in a substantially vertical direction, means for angularly adjusting said shaft, a member driven by said shaft and having a limited extensible movement relative thereto, and a lifting propeller on said member.

9. In an aeroplane, a substantially horizontal shaft, a second shaft having a pivotal adjusting movement in a generally vertical direction about said first shaft and driven thereby, a member having a limited extensible movement relative to said second shaft and driven thereby, and a propeller on said member.

10. In an aeroplane, a body portion, a drive shaft extending in a substantially vertical direction, means for angularly adjusting said shaft, a sleeve splined to said shaft and having a limited sliding movement thereon, and a propeller on said sleeve.

11. In an aeroplane, a substantially horizontal shaft, a second shaft having a pivotal adjusting movement in a generally vertical direction about said first shaft and driven thereby, a sleeve splined to said second shaft and having a limited sliding m0vement thereon, and a propeller on said sleeve.

LLIAM E. LAWN. 

